Houston man charged with sexual assault of toddler

Updated 11:37 am, Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A Houston man is behind bars, accused of sexually assaulting a 3-year-old in his care last fall in southwest Houston, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

Jesse Alforence Obrien, 52, has been charged with super-aggravated sexual assault of a child under 6 years of age, court records show. He was being held Wednesday at the Harris County Jail in lieu of a $50,000 bail.

The baby's mother told police that she left the toddler in Obrien's care at his home in September 2012, according to an arrest warrant filed in the case. Five hours later, the mother picked her daughter up to take her home.

"Once at home," the arrest warrant states, "the (baby's) mother began to bathe the (infant) who told her that (Obrien) is a 'bad man.'"

The mother "noticed vaginal irritation and became shocked and angered by the disclosure, and contacted the defendant and confronted him with what (the baby) had told her," according to the warrant.

If convicted on the felony charge, Obrien faces a minimum of 25 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison without parole.

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